At least one person died and up to 100 have been injured, some of them critically, when an NJ Transit train went through an end-of-platform bumper and into the train concourse in Hoboken Terminal just before 9:00 AM on Thursday, Sept. 29.
“At approximately 8:45 AM, train #1614, a Pascack Valley line departure from Spring Valley operating to Hoboken, struck the Hoboken Terminal building on Track 5,” NJ Transit said in a statement.
Train 1614, with a Comet V cab car on the head end, departed from Spring Valley at 7:23 AM and was due to arrive in Hoboken at 8:38 AM. The cab car came to a halt between the terminal’s indoor waiting area and the end of the platform. A concrete, metal and glass train shed collapsed. Most of the injuries appeared to be in the lead car or people struck by debris inside the station. Many people were trapped on the train and in the debris. A woman in her 30s who was on a platform in the station died.
One eyewitness described the train’s 48-year-old engineer, a 27-year veteran whose name has not been released, as “slumped over the controls,” indicating that he may have become disabled as the train approached the platform. The engineer was among the survivors, according to a law enforcement official. He was being treated at a local hospital, but his condition isn’t known. He is said to be cooperating with authorities on the investigation.
FRA and NTSB investigators are on the scene. Rail service in and out of Hoboken has been suspended due to the accident. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and PATH are also suspended into and out of Hoboken Terminal. NJ Transit bus, private carriers and ferry services are cross-honoring NJT rail tickets and passes.